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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26643022">Golden Scars and New Horizons</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphofshadows/pseuds/seraphofshadows'>seraphofshadows</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lucifer (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bracelet Bros, Canon Divergent 5a ending, Dan Espinoza &amp; Lucifer Morningstar Friendship, Enemies to Friends, Exploration of Lucifer and Dan's friendship, Featuring everyone doing a lot of talking to work through their problems, Gen, Male Friendship, Minor Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, discussions of mental health</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:07:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,682</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26643022</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphofshadows/pseuds/seraphofshadows</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It is said that the Devil can never be hurt.</p><p>With a gun resting heavy in his hands and a single bullet flying through the air, Dan discovers that there may be some truth behind that statement. Soon, he is left to pick up the pieces of his life and come to grips with his new reality.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dan Espinoza &amp; Lucifer Morningstar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>252</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Golden Scars and New Horizons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>An exploration taking place immediately after Chloe is rescued and diverging away from the final few scenes of season 5a. In this, the confrontation between Michael, Lucifer, Amenadiel and Maze does not take place.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Red skin</em>
</p><p>
  <em>burning eyes</em>
</p><p>
  <em>and a wicked grin</em>
</p><p>Dan drags himself out of the nightmarish visions that cannot leave him be just as Chloe begins her speech. His fingers tremble against the edge of his desk and he catches his breath for a moment. Then, he lets it go and forces his shoulders to unwind.</p><p>The staff of the LAPD crowd around the stairs as the hazy afternoon sun slants through the wide windows above them. Lazy dust motes linger in the air and there is the comforting embrace of a perfect warmth that stretches throughout the wide-open space. It is a breath of calm during a day that has been anything but that. A moment frozen. A sense of peace.</p><p>Chloe stands at the foot of that sun and its light catches her hair as she glances around. A soft smile curls her lips as she thanks those who helped search for her. Her voice is shaky and her eyes shine with the remnant of tears, but she is safe and here.</p><p>Dan sighs in frustration. They are happy. All of them.</p><p>But there is the feeling of rising dread in his stomach that reminds him that he is not happy. Not as he hears her weave her lies.</p><p>She does it with such ease that no one suspects the involvement of something <em>more</em> in her disappearance and eventual recovery. He had always known she could lie but this is something new. She is a different person now with secrets that he cannot even begin to understand and he wonders what other lies she has told over the years.</p><p>That feeling of dread shifts and grows.</p><p>She is lying to protect <em>him.</em></p><p>The sharp tang of something wrong rises in his throat and he tries to swallow it. He feels sick and off kilter. His hands are clammy as they clutch the desk and his vision wavers briefly, desperately wishing that this would somehow all go away. Maybe there is a chance that things could go back to normal - before his new normal was demons and angels and the Devil himself.</p><p>Staring at Chloe, it is no surprise that Dan catches the look she throws across the room. He blinks and follows her eyes to see <em>him </em>lurking in a doorway, separate from the crowd.</p><p>Dan shudders and pulls his gaze down. How can Chloe just let him stay here? That thing over there is a bomb hiding in the middle of the precinct. A gun pointed at his fellow co-workers. The box of tinder waiting to burn the place to the ground.</p><p>Hands steadying on the desk, Dan stares down at the dark wood. He tries to let his mind go blank for a moment so that he can have a few seconds of respite. Breathing in and breathing out. Peace and calm. That is what all of his books and research had told him. Focus on what you can control and step by step, get your life back together.</p><p>So, he blocks out everything around him until finally he feels that the static in his head has quietened somewhat.</p><p>Then, he looks up again and those dark eyes are now staring back at him. His breath hitches and a rising wave of panic threatens to overwhelm him as the world fades and all he can see are those eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Red </em>
</p><p>
  <em>and burning,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>staring into his very soul. </em>
</p><p>He scrambles backwards, knocking into his chair. A few of his co-workers make comments of what he assumes are concern but he cannot hear them over the screaming in his ears. His fingers are shaking and his breath is coming faster and faster. The lights swirl around him. He can’t do this.</p><p>There was a small niggling part of him that thought, perhaps if he just got back to work then everything would be fine. It is not fine. He needs to get out of here.</p><p>Dan grabs his bag, slinging it over his shoulder as Chloe finishes her speech and starts to mingle with the crowd. He tries his best to slide through the mess of bodies, eyes fixated on the stairs as his escape route. The shaking is growing worse by the second and all he knows is that he needs to leave. Now.</p><p>But as he reaches the foot of the stairs and he can almost taste that freedom, a hand clamps around his elbow.</p><p>He spins to see Lucifer standing there. The Devil looms over him, tall and imposing in that suit of his. Dan swears and stumbles, losing his footing. He almost falls but that hand tightens and rights him.</p><p>“Now, now, Daniel. Can’t have you escaping just yet, can we? I do believe we have some things to discuss… in private.” The words are spoken quietly but with a heavy weight behind them that pushes Dan down and he chokes on his breath.</p><p>Then, before he can say anything, Lucifer pulls him by the elbow across the room, unnoticed by the crowd.</p><p>Dan only has enough time to briefly entertain the thought of trying to flee before he finds himself dragged into the interrogation room. As the door shuts, closing them off from the outside world, Dan laments his luck at finding himself in the same situation twice in the one day. This time, he knows he cannot escape and so he simply clambers backwards, pressing against the cool walls in an attempt to put some distance between them.</p><p>“Now Daniel –,” Lucifer spins to face him and then falters. He looks him up and down as Dan tries his hardest to pretend that he is not shaking terribly. “Well, I thought we had moved past this but it appears not.”</p><p>Now that brings the anger to the surface. “How can I move past this?” Dan hisses. “You’re the fucking Devil!”</p><p>“Yes, well, it’s not exactly as if I ever hid that fact.” He stands there, eyes dark and smile tweaked up into a smirk. “It was you who simply chose not to believe it.”</p><p>There had always been something <em>more </em>to that expression that Dan could never place his finger on. It was what had riled him up about the other man in the first place. Yes, the sexual jokes in a workplace had been frustrating and the way he had acted around Chloe was not ideal but it was that look that Lucifer gave people that had outweighed it all. It spoke of something terrible lurking just beneath the surface. A raptor hunting through the grasslands, talons outstretched and waiting. Over time, Dan had learned to ignore that look, believing that his initial impressions had been wrong. Recently, however, he’s begun to realise just how accurate that feeling had been.</p><p>And it is there now. The look of someone who doesn’t care about humans, about people. Someone older than Dan could ever even imagine. Dan shivers, that feeling of feeble terror in the face of something he cannot comprehend slamming back into him with all the subtlety of a foghorn on a silent night. How can he even begin to understand the thing that is standing there?</p><p>And more importantly, what does the Devil want with him?</p><p>Lucifer seems to be watching him warily now, movements slow and deliberate as he steps forward, just one step. Not too close. Not yet anyway. Then, Lucifer pulls something out from his pocket and Dan’s mind immediately jumps to the possibilities – a gun, some voodoo doll, flaming hellfire – it could be anything but as his eyes focus on it, he blinks in surprise. It’s the bracelet that he had made Lucifer, complete with an amethyst and purple strings that loop around in that awkward way that signifies its homemade beginnings.  </p><p>It is placed gently on the table between them. Dan flinches as it clacks against the wood.</p><p>“Oh bloody hell,” Lucifer snarls. “I’m not going to hurt you.”</p><p>Dan swallows, “But you did before.”</p><p>That stops him for a moment and those hands still. In fact, the entire man, <em>creature, </em>goes still and then, with a certain look that Dan rarely sees, Lucifer says “You are right and I apologise for that. I was … overwhelmed and I let my anger get the better of me. I was worried about Chloe.”</p><p>And there it is. Something, perhaps genuine, echoing behind his words. Dan swallows and peels, ever so slightly, away from the wall.</p><p>“You care for her, don’t you?” The question comes out incredulous because how can it not? He had seen the way Lucifer looked at her when they found her hiding place. He may not trust anything about the Devil but that, he somehow knows, is genuine.</p><p>“Believe me, if I properly understood it, I would be more than happy to try and explain it to you Daniel. But unfortunately, it appears as if it is something that I still do not understand myself.”</p><p>And that, if Dan is interpreting his tone correctly, is annoyance. He takes a slow breath, not wanting to continue prodding over the topic of Chloe and abruptly asks, “How long are you planning on keeping me here for?”</p><p>He is shot a dark look from across the room. “I am not keeping you here. If you would like to leave then you can.”</p><p>“But…?”</p><p>“I felt that it would be prudent to address some of your concerns that I am sure you have as I would like to avoid any future shootings. I do not like getting shot, particularly when someone is intending to kill me.”</p><p>There is that smirk again. Dan shudders. The smirk vanishes.</p><p>“And the bracelet?”</p><p>“I believed you would want the bracelet back,” Lucifer pauses, head tilting and considering before he continues, “Especially given recent information that has come to light. You put effort into making it for me before you found out about everything.” There is a downward slant to his lips that Dan thinks is bitterness but he knows cannot be.</p><p>“It felt wrong to keep it, given that you quite clearly want to be nowhere near me and it was a gift, so I am returning it back. You can do whatever it is you would like with it.”</p><p>Dan stares at it, not wanting to pick it up. Lucifer rolls his eyes heavenward and pushes it across the table. “I didn’t hex it or anything if that’s what you think I’ve done. You can throw it out if you would like. Burn it. Hide it in a hole somewhere. I just believed-”</p><p>“I don’t want it back.”</p><p>Lucifer pauses, his words stilling and his face unreadable.</p><p>“I don’t want it back. It’s… tainted now.” Dan spits the words out in anger, feeling a flash of fury burning in his chest. He had taken his time making that bracelet as a gift for a friend. Or someone he had believed was his friend anyway.</p><p>All those quiet moments when Dan had believed Lucifer was struggling through his own problems, now brought to the forefront of his thoughts again. What a joke. Lucifer must have wanted to laugh so much at him when he had been presented with the bracelet.</p><p>Lucifer sits in the chair and sighs, a long drawn out sound that feels immensely old as it sits in the air between them. “It’s just a bracelet. The fact that I wore it for a while does not ruin it or make it something that will send your soul to hell.”</p><p>Dan trembles as his mind immediately supplies a list of other things that a hell-bound bracelet might be able to do to him. Lucifer appears to notice his sudden silence and his expression shifts.</p><p>“Daniel. If there are answers that you need to make this more comfortable for you then ask away. I am here to assuage any lingering fears that you might still have. You are not the first to find my true nature alarming but I would like to believe I have become more understanding of how that can affect humans since the first time. So…” Here he pauses and spreads his arms wide, “ask away.”</p><p>“I-” Dan’s mouth is suddenly dry and he chokes on the words that form on his tongue. There are a thousand questions he could ask but he has a sinking feeling that no answer will ever right this. Not when he already knows the truth. “I can’t. There’s too much. I don’t know who you are anymore.”</p><p>“You know me.” Lucifer shrugs dismissively.</p><p>“No. I don’t know you.” Dan stares at him and for a moment forgets his terror, so overcome with that anger and bewilderment once again. “You’re the goddamned Devil! How can you even – I saw your face Lucifer. Your true face. And then you didn’t die when I shot you. I can’t just forget that and move on, not when you are still walking around here like nothing is different. Like you belong -” Dan bites off the words with a snap as Lucifer flinches back.</p><p>Dan hates him, so much. The way he sits there, eyes wide, pretending as if those words had actually hurt. It is an illusion built almost perfectly just for him. Convincing, sure, if he could ever forget that scarred face and burning eyes.</p><p>Instead, he knows it’s a lie.</p><p>(He resolutely ignores the soft voice in his head that whispers that Lucifer never lies. Because he does. He must)</p><p>Dan is overcome with a sudden urge to punch him, to get out this urge to just do something, this tingling that has spread through his arms. He doesn’t do it though. He has no clue what the Devil would do if someone tried to punch him in a situation like this and he doesn’t want to find out. Not when there aren’t any witnesses.</p><p>“Is that why you didn’t kill me?”</p><p>Lucifer blinks, drawn back from whatever dark depths he had gone to in those terse moments of silence. “What?”</p><p>Dan pushes ahead. “When I shot you, did you stop yourself from killing me because Chloe was there?”</p><p>Lucifer shrugs. “In all honesty, in the immediate aftermath of getting shot my thoughts were more on the <em>why am I not dead</em> variety. Not on punishing the person responsible”</p><p>“But surely you were angry.” It is not a question.</p><p>“Furious of course. Later though, once I had more time to process the fact that you had deliberately shot me with the intention to kill.”</p><p>He pushes away from the wall for a moment, feeling confusion boil up within. “So that is why you brought me in here then? Are you going to punish me now for what I did in trying to kill you?”</p><p>Lucifer’s mouth quirks up into that sly sadistic smirk that he always gets that makes Dan want to run. “Punish you? Oh Daniel, don’t tempt me.”</p><p>And it is only then that he realises what he has said. For a moment, it’s as if the person across from him is just Lucifer – the weird man that has somehow wormed his way into a bizarre friendship with almost everyone Dan knows. It is a moment that makes him almost think he could just pretend, like the others do.</p><p>Then the moment shatters.</p><p>“Don’t do that.”</p><p>“Do what?”</p><p>“That. Don’t pretend as if you are normal.”</p><p>Lucifer eyes him. “I never pretended as if I am normal. I have always been far more than ordinary, even when the rest of you did not believe it.”</p><p>“Yes, but you could have always proved it to us. <em>You</em> were the one who let us continue the ruse.”</p><p>“Daniel. I had my own agenda for helping with your investigation in the beginning and I felt properly revealing myself could have affected that. Then, I later tried to do such a thing with Chloe and it backfired spectacularly. After that, well, I suppose you could say I had grown comfortable in my role here and forcing you all to confront the truth of who I am could have unbalanced that.”</p><p>Dan takes a deep breath. His hands have stopped shaking, he dimly realises and the pounding in his head has quietened so much that he can actually hear his thoughts properly again. Then, something occurs to him.</p><p>“Why are you using my actual name? Is this another trick?”</p><p>Lucifer coughs, the sound awkward and echoing in the room. “I felt calling you by the usual moniker would not be appreciated in a situation such as this.”</p><p>“… I’ll give you that.”</p><p>A pause.</p><p>“So, is that all you wanted to ask?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“…no?”</p><p>“I still have questions,” Dan says. And he does still have so many questions. If he is not actually going to die in the next few minutes, maybe he could find a way to stop the nightmares if he could just <em>understand </em>more of all of this. </p><p>“Why did you … look like that, the night Michael called me back to the house? Is that what you look like all the time? Is this all just some fakery that you can put together with magic or something?”</p><p>Lucifer swallows. There is a long pause and Dan stares at him across the room, trying to read that unmoving face. Is he angry? Has he taken offence? Is Dan about to be dragged down to Hell for even asking such a question?</p><p>Finally, when it has dragged on too long, Lucifer glances away as if he wants to hide his expression. <em>Liar</em>, Dan’s mind screams at him.</p><p>“It is one of my faces. It is a part of me but I can choose to wear it when I want.”</p><p>“But why did you look like that, that night?”</p><p>Dan swears that Lucifer looks embarrassed, shifting there in the seat opposite to him, hands fidgeting with the cuffs on his rather expensive suit. But of course, he wouldn’t be embarrassed. Not him.</p><p>“I may have been playing a game of peekaboo with Charlie. Somehow the child would only stop crying when he saw my Devil face. I have absolutely no clue why it worked but it did and after the three of us had spent an awful long time trying to fix the problem child, I felt that it was best not to... look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak.”</p><p>Dan remembers all too well the hours spent trying to calm that crying child. He swears Trixie had never been that difficult as a baby. Imagining Lucifer looking like <em>that </em>in order to stop a child from crying is something that doesn’t sit right with him.</p><p>Lucifer is eyeing him again in a way that suggests he is trying to work out what Dan is thinking. Dan himself doesn’t even know so he wonders what Lucifer sees in his expression.</p><p>“Is any of this actually helping?” Lucifer asks as he leans forward. “Dr Martin said it was best not to overwhelm someone with this information. Unfortunately, I do not know how best to proceed so I will need your input if this is to get us to a point where you will not shoot me again.”</p><p>Dan runs a hand through his hair. Yes, his hands have stopped shaking, but – “This doesn’t help. I can’t be okay with this. I can’t even begin to understand, no matter how many questions you might answer. I’ll still-” He bites his lip as he goes to add <em>I’ll still see your face in my nightmares. </em>From the way those dark eyes narrow though, Lucifer has worked out what he was trying to say.  </p><p>“So, that’s it then?”</p><p>“I just can’t Lucifer.”</p><p>“Very well. Consider me out of your life as much as I can be then.”  Lucifer stands, face blank and eyes full of something burning that Dan can’t put his finger on.</p><p>He looks <em>exhausted </em>in a way that Dan has never truly seen before. It hits him, finally, what Lucifer must have been through in his life. He has seen civilisations rise and crumble. The ages of humanity flickering as simple as a candle about to be snuffed out by the slightest wind. This moment is a mere blip that can easily be forgotten. In the end, it doesn’t matter to Lucifer and Dan feels so tiny and insignificant as his mind grapples with this knowledge that he just gapes across the room at him.</p><p>“What, is that not what you wanted to hear? Fine then.” And then, those eyes flash red and Dan’s thoughts grind to a halt as he feels his soul scream.</p><p>“Remember that I am the Devil, Daniel. Spawn of Hell, Satan himself. I’ve spent an eternity helping torture the souls of the damned and listening to their screams. I have killed people. I have driven people to insanity. The stories they tell about me are not wrong.”</p><p>Dan wants to agree, to nod and punch the air triumphantly and say <em>I knew it!</em> But he finds he cannot. The words, though everything he expected from the Devil himself, ring hollow.</p><p>“I find what people desire, Daniel and I know that what you desire is to feel vindicated that I am in fact the horrible, wretched and twisted thing you so believe that I am.”</p><p>Lucifer stands, taking a moment to adjust the cuffs of his shirt. The grin has fallen now and that look is back – one that speaks of thousands of years of aged rivers running dry, of the world turning from day to night over and over again until you can’t even know what year it is.</p><p>He looks Dan over and straightens. “However, sometimes it is not just about what you want. Sometimes it is about more than that.”</p><p>And he leaves. Just like that, with the door clicking open and shut, leaving odd feeling of something unfinished. It isn’t the big spectacle that Dan imagined. Nor is it the quiet terror and horrific end in an alleyway somewhere that had been plaguing his nightmares. It is simply a door – opening and shutting. Leaving him stranded, confused, and alone.</p><p>Dan drags his gaze back to the bracelet. He can feel his palms sweating and the lingering sense of terror has mingled with confusion as it settles into his stomach. Reaching over, Dan picks it up and feels its weight on his palm. Then, he pockets it with a grimace.</p><p>He got what he wanted right? Proof that Lucifer was evil and an admission that he would not be around any longer.</p><p>Right?</p><p>But something distinctly feels not right.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Dan asks his supervisor for the rest of the day off. He cites exhaustion over the hunt for Chloe as his reason, only feeling slightly guilty about using her experience as an excuse, but he needs some time. He can’t bear any more of the looks Chloe has been sending him across the office, particularly after she had pulled Lucifer aside to talk.</p><p>He also can’t stand to be in close proximity to the Devil any longer.</p><p>And so, he leaves, grabbing his bags and heading out in a daze. Behind the wheel he feels like he has some space to breathe but his thoughts still swirl in a messy tangle that he needs time to process. It doesn’t take long before he pulls into the parking lot of a bar. It’s still early but he so desperately needs a drink to quieten that terror.</p><p>The place he has arrived at is the sort that sits half empty for most of the day. The regulars are in their usual spots, some bopping their heads along to the quiet hum of badly tuned music over the speakers. There is the noticeable smell of cheap food and something burnt wafting from the kitchen. Greased wooden boards hang over one of the windows and the remnants of broken glass can still be seen poking out from behind it. The floor is stained in several places and looks as if it desperately needs a clean.</p><p>Still, it is a place away that reminds him of normality.</p><p>The moments blur together and soon enough, Dan has a drink cradled between his hand as he sits down. He stares at it, then takes a sip. It is lukewarm and tastes a bit strange but even as the liquid slides down his throat, he finds he feels just a little better.</p><p>“I’ve been told that you know about <em>us</em>.” Amenadiel’s voice is soft and gentle as he slides into the chair opposite Dan who freezes.</p><p>He hadn’t noticed the other man come in. Maybe he hadn’t walked in the usual way. He was an angel, right? Then, maybe he had been following Dan somehow in some <em>celestial </em>way.</p><p>Still, Amenadiel’s appearance doesn’t immediately result in any trembling hands and so Dan feels maybe his presence here isn’t so bad. Besides, his face has morphed into something akin to worry. Dan lets out the breath wound up in his chest. “Look, man, I can’t do this today. It’s been a tough few hours.”</p><p>“He may have mentioned that you were not taking it too well.”</p><p>There is no need to guess who the <em>he </em>is in that sentence. Dan remembers seeing the two brothers standing, framed in that window, watching over Charlie. Amenadiel had not been scared of Lucifer that night. In fact, he had seemed to be encouraging him. So, what, he is on Lucifer’s side?</p><p>Dan wonders if he should revise his feelings towards him.</p><p>“I’ve already had enough of the supernatural for one day. Can’t a man drink in peace?”</p><p>Amenadiel shoots him a look that reminds Dan eerily of Lucifer. The narrowed eyes giving away that he doesn’t buy any of Dan’s bullshit. “Drinking like this is not good for you. However, I understand that it may help to ease the stress you might be feeling.” He presses his lips together and then adds, “So long as you do not drink too much.”</p><p>Dan very pointedly takes another sip. Then, realising that Amenadiel is decidedly not moving, he sighs. “Why are you really here?”</p><p>“Luci can be daunting to talk to,” Amenadiel says with a small laugh. “I am here to give you a chance to process and ask your own questions, to talk through all of this with you. If you would like of course.”</p><p>The offer is one that, as far as Dan can tell, is made out of genuine concern. At least, if he is interpreting Amenadiel’s expression correctly, which is difficult as he is not even sure if any of them <em>feel </em>in the same way that he does. He considers the offer. When he looks at the man opposite him, he still doesn’t feel on the verge of panic so maybe it is a good idea.</p><p>Dan acquiesces with a nod. “Alright. So, what is up with you and Lucifer then?  You guys are brothers so what, that makes you an angel?” The alcohol fizzes lightly in his stomach and he feels some of the tension in his shoulders unwind.</p><p>Amenadiel straightens and nods. It is a proper nod, firm and sharp in its execution.“Yes, I am an angel. Although, from your experience with Michael, I’m sure you will believe me when I say that it doesn’t mean what most people think.”</p><p>“Yea…” Dan says with a grimace. “I was not expecting an angel to kidnap Chlo. I thought Michael was supposed to be one of the good guys.”</p><p>“Michael holds a lot of anger towards Lucifer and is more than willing to use people’s fears to get what he wants.”</p><p>“And how about the rest of you? I assume there are more, right?”</p><p>“Yes. Quite a few more,” Amenadiel says. “Many of them are not the nicest towards humans.”</p><p>Dan blinks and shifts just ever so slightly away. “And you?”</p><p>He bows his head. “I used to be like that, in all honesty. When you have spent thousands of years thinking in a particular way, it is not easy to change your mindset. Us celestial beings are powerful in a way that I feel is difficult for you humans to understand. When you have that much power, it is easy to see people as insignificant.”</p><p>“But now you don’t think that?”</p><p>“I feel I have changed. I hope for the better.”</p><p>Dan hums into his glass. “I mean, yea, you guys can do a lot right? With your powers or whatever?”</p><p>“Yes, us angels do have powers beyond what mortals are capable of.”</p><p>“And what can… Lucifer do?”</p><p>Amenadiel pauses here. “Are you sure you want to know?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Well then, you’ve seen perhaps the power he uses the most. Many of us have a special power that is unique to us and his is what he calls his mojo.”</p><p>“Wait that’s real?” Dan’s mouth drops open as he thinks over all the times he has seen Lucifer do that desire thing he does. He had assumed it was some kind of trick. Even in the face of people revealing things that they had clearly not wanted to say, he had never believed it was some mystical power. “Wow, huh. That certainly puts that into perspective.”</p><p>It is not a comfortable thought to realise that Lucifer could take control of him like that. He shudders.</p><p>“It’s something he uses relatively freely, unlike the rest of his powers. Somehow it is also something that you all seem to explain away.”</p><p>“And what else?”</p><p>“We can fly.”</p><p>Dan shudders. “Yea, Michael took me on a few journeys. That was probably the worst experience I’ve ever had. What else?”</p><p>“We are also fairly invulnerable.”</p><p>“I kind of figured when I shot Lucifer and he didn’t die. Michael had wanted me to shoot Lucifer though. Did he know that it wouldn’t work?”</p><p>Amenadiel glances away at that. “There have been circumstances that have made Lucifer vulnerable to human weapons before. I believe Michael was trying to test what had made him vulnerable and use it against him.”</p><p>Dan thinks over that night. Ah. That explained that reaction then. They had all expected Lucifer to be hurt by the shot and had been surprised when he hadn’t. So, unlikely that he could do any lasting damage to him then. Good to know. Also, something that definitely would make it harder to sleep at night knowing that he could never properly hurt the Devil.</p><p>“Do you have a special power like his?”</p><p>“Not quite the same but I can slow down time.”</p><p>“That’s fucking weird…”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>Dan looks down at his drink. This is strange – the feeling of having an almost normal conversation with an angel of all things. Amenadiel is so very different from both Michael and Lucifer, a calm contrast to their intense personalities.</p><p>“This isn’t the conversation you really wanted to have is it?”</p><p>Glancing up, Dan sighs and shakes his head. “It helps to process it all a little bit, but there is just still so much. Just thinking of him, and that face.”</p><p>“That’s the real problem for you, from what I can gather,” Amenadiel says. “It’s the knowledge of who Lucifer is, isn’t it?”</p><p>“He’s evil! Isn’t your job as an angel to stop the Devil?”</p><p>“My brother is not evil, Daniel. He may have somehow gotten out of the job he is supposed to be doing as King of Hell, but even the job alone does not make him evil”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>Amenadiel holds up a hand to stop his protests and Dan falls silent. Those red eyes. That face. How can that not be evil? He should have known that Lucifer’s brother would defend him.</p><p>“My brother is not evil. He is different from what you humans believe he is and far more complex than the folk tales of him as merely some red creature with horns and a forked tail.”</p><p>When Dan frowns, Amenadiel sighs. “I can see you don’t believe me. I would suggest speaking to Linda. She may be able to shed more light on the whole situation.”</p><p>“Linda… you mean she knows?” Dan feels less surprised than he should be</p><p>Amenediel nods. “She has known for quite some time. He chose to reveal himself to her a while back now.”</p><p>“Why would he do such a thing?”</p><p>“She has been assisting Lucifer over the last few years with personal issues. From what I understand of the situation, she had tried to push him into admitting his delusions which resulted in him choosing to reveal himself in a way that could not be ignored.”</p><p>“So, she is his.. therapist? The Devil has a therapist?”</p><p>“So to speak. Lucifer has a tendency to blur professional lines though, as you well know. However, I do believe that he genuinely listens to her as much as he can for all that he doesn’t understand human concepts of mental health.”</p><p>Amenadiel stands. “I feel as if I’ve taken up too much of your time already so I will take my leave unless you have anything else you would like to discuss.”</p><p>Dan shakes his head. It’s a lie. He has so much more he wants to talk about but not with Amenadiel, not with the angel who seems to be protecting Lucifer. He needs to speak to Linda, someone else who probably understands what he is going through.</p><p>Then, the larger man is gone and Dan is left alone nursing his drink. He sits there for a long while, listening to the sounds of people around him and thinking about what Amenadiel had said. Is it possible that he had been telling the truth?</p><p>He looks down at his drink. It hasn’t helped as much as he had hoped. He needs more space and time above all. So, he finishes off the alcohol and then leaves the place before any other celestial beings find him there.</p><p>The hours pass in a daze, time barely noticeable aside from the darkening of the sky above him. Dan wanders the city, his steps leading him to places he has not visited in a long time for reasons he cannot quite grasp. The buzzing of the streets and its people help give him room to breathe. He revels in the way it feels just right – the crowds heading home from work, the loud horns in the traffic, the twitter of birds in the sky.</p><p>Until once again, he finds himself back in front of her grave.</p><p>It is silent there, just like the last time. No other visitors trying to fill the aching gap in their chest where their loved ones once held themselves. The grass is newly cut and there is the distinct smell of dirt in the air. A peaceful place where those who were once full of life are laid to rest. </p><p>This time, his words are quieter and his voice is not spilling over with tears. There is still, however, a distinct tremor of fear laden under his tongue as he whispers his words to her.</p><p>“I just keep wondering about it all. Knowing that Lucifer and his brothers are who they say they are is terrifying.” Dan says softly as the breeze picks up and the trees above murmur in response. “Turns out Michael is a definite bastard. Only one I’m certain of, if I’m being honest. At least I know where he stands now.”</p><p>He kneels gently beside her, fingers trailing in the carved grooves of her name on the stone. “What would you think, Charlotte? Angels and the Devil. It’s insane but somehow, it’s all real.”</p><p>“Chloe is definitely unhappy with me.” He laughs but the sound gets choked up halfway across his tongue and a sob comes out instead. “I’m more worried about her and Trixie. Keeping company with the Devil surely isn’t a good thing. It even got her kidnapped.”</p><p>Dan shifts forward and lets his head rest against the stone. “Of course, she’d tell me off for worrying about her. She can take care of herself, and I know that, but I can’t help it. This is all so… new to me.”</p><p>The silence falls for a few minutes – calm and steadying. Dan wonders if she can hear him in heaven.</p><p>“Michael said that I needed to rid the world of the Devil. Amenadiel tells me that Lucifer isn’t evil. Surely the tales they tell of him are true in part, right? I’ve seen the way he looks at people sometimes, the way he yells when he gets truly angry. It’s frightening. He has so much anger, so much rage and he has powers beyond what I can even believe.”</p><p>Another sigh. “I just don’t know what to think.”</p><p>He whispers his apologies to her yet again and leaves, a single flower left resting on her grave.</p><p>That night he sleeps restlessly, dreaming of Lucifer yelling that he knows what he truly desires, with those red eyes burning a brand into his skin.</p><p>Then he dreams of Chloe, her back turned away from him.</p><p>Then of himself burning in the fires of Hell.</p><p>The hours pass. He doesn’t get any true rest.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>He awakens the next morning with a deep exhaustion. The kind, he realises almost immediately, that nothing can solve. A symptom of his troubled sleep and the confusing thoughts that plague him even in his waking hours. It is a sign that he needs to make a decision on where he stands and take action regarding that decision. Does he trust that the others are telling the truth when they say Lucifer is not evil? Or does he try and right that wrong yet again?</p><p>How can he know for sure?</p><p>It is with that thought in mind that Dan decides, over breakfast, his plan of action for the day. A plan that will hopefully resolve the situation by finding the one person he believes will give him an accurate assessment of everything. Of Lucifer and whether he is truly evil or not.</p><p>He makes his way to Linda’s office early but as soon as he arrives, he hesitates. This was stupid of him. He knows how busy a psychologist must be, particularly in LA. The door is open though and so he forces himself to take a step forward, announcing his presence with a sharp knock against the wall.</p><p>Linda, reading over something at her desk, glances up in clear surprise as she hears his knock. As she sees who it is though, she smiles. “Oh good morning. Can’t say I was expecting anyone quite this early.”</p><p>“Do you have some spare time right now?” Dan feels himself fidgeting but finds he cannot stop. There is a nervousness that has settled in his limbs as he thinks about what it is he is about to ask her.</p><p>“Of course.” Linda motions for him to take a seat and gets up, gently closing the door behind him. Then, she sits in a chair opposite, hands clasped. Dan doesn’t know where to start so he just sits there for a moment, collecting his thoughts.</p><p>“Is everything alright? You seem more-”</p><p>“How long have you known about Lucifer?”</p><p>“Ah. That explains the added stress you seem to be feeling then.” Linda smiles gently at him. “I’m guessing that’s what you came here to talk about?”</p><p>Dan runs a hand through his hair and laughs, the sound coming out more nervous than he was hoping for. “Yea.”</p><p>“And when did you find out?”</p><p>“The other night, when we were all watching Charlie. I had left and then was heading back to the house when I saw Lucifer’s <em>face</em>, you surely know the one, through the window. Hard to ignore the truth after seeing something like that.”</p><p>She laughs, eyes crinkling. “Oh, you don’t have to tell me. I’m pretty sure I went into some kind of shock when he showed that face to me. Then I refused to speak to him and avoided Maze as well for quite a while. It’s not a face that you forget easily.”</p><p>“So, you understand then.” Dan feels his shoulders relax somewhat at the knowledge that someone else seems to get where he is coming from.</p><p>“Of course. It took me a long time to come to terms with all of <em>this </em>when I could no longer ignore the truth.”</p><p>“But… you did come to terms with it?”</p><p>A pause. “I don’t think it’s something you can ever properly understand. We are just human after all. They are so much more than that. Still, I try to relate what I know with their experiences to better grasp the challenges Lucifer faces.”</p><p>“So, you really are therapist to the Devil?” Dan follows the words with a short laugh, incredulous and with a hint of sharp meanness to it as well.</p><p>“Yes.” That stops him in his tracks. Linda is looking at him, fingers gently tapping against her crossed legs. “That’s exactly what it was. Or what it started out as at least.”</p><p>He stares at her, disbelieving and she sighs, shifting forward as she says, “You know what he is like. Impulsive, lacking inhibitions, full of insecurity and with an abundance family issues. He hides it all behind that charming persona but he still struggles with all of these things. From what I can understand, he has a lot of rather human emotions regarding everything but lacks our understanding of mental health to properly deal with them.”</p><p>Dan scoffs. “Are you trying to tell me that Lucifer has issues?”</p><p>Her eyes narrow. “Don’t be so quick to dismiss what I am saying. I know it’s difficult to think about it but for a moment consider what his life has been like in human terms. He was rejected by his family, then forced into a position he didn’t want and one that makes everyone around him terrified of him. So, he runs away – typical response to something like that and as a result, he has his own struggles that he does not know how to voice.”</p><p>“But, he’s the Devil! He doesn’t…” Dan waves a hand around, trying to find the right way to explain to her, “He’s not human. He doesn’t care about things like that.”</p><p>“I think, if you moved on from getting stuck on the <em>Devil</em> part, you would come to realise that he does.”</p><p>“What, care?”</p><p>“Yes. In his own way. And perhaps, not as vocally as the rest of us, but he does care. He’s just not very good at expressing it.”</p><p>Dan shifts in his seat. He doesn’t like thinking about Lucifer in those terms. He doesn’t like that it makes him think of that bracelet, of the way that Lucifer had seemed like he needed help that day in the office. Then, he thinks more of those moments when the bluster and bravado wipe away and what is left is a man that seems to be hurting from something that aches beneath the surface of his skin.</p><p>“He cares about Chloe,” Dan finally relents.</p><p>“More than anyone else. You know, he’s been on Earth for quite some time but it’s only now that he has started to branch out in his relationships which is a great thing for his emotional capacity.”</p><p>“Well good for him,” Dan rolls his eyes.</p><p>“Think about it.” Linda’s tone is stern and Dan swallows down the urge to apologise. “Everyone he has ever known has rejected him for thousands of years. Humanity has hated him, despised him and treated him as the epitome of all evil. He has not had a positive relationship with <em>anyone </em>for likely most of his life. The fact that he even seems to still try is astounding.”</p><p>Dan draws back, brows furrowed. “So, you believe that he is genuine then?”</p><p>“In as much as he can be. I understand though how hard this can be to wrap your head around. As I said, it took me quite some time to look past the Devil of all things to see that the people I had grown to know were still the very same. I believe that none of that is fake.”</p><p>Her words are gentle and understanding. Completely different from both Lucifer and Amenadiel’s conversations with him. It calms those thoughts of frustration and reminds him that there are other people who have dealt with this before and seem to be living their lives just fine.</p><p>She lets him take a moment with his thoughts before she asks, “What about you? How did you feel when you saw his true face that night?”</p><p>“Horrified. Disgusted, fearful for my family and …”</p><p>“And betrayed,” Linda finishes as she takes a long look at his expression.</p><p>Dan blusters at that, retorts immediately rising to his lips but he sees the way she is looking at him and it gives him pause. He stops and actually thinks for a moment on how he had felt that night. He thinks about the way everyone else had been acting as if everything was alright and he had been the one who had lost his mind. He remembers how he had been opening up to Lucifer yet again and had that slam back in his face.</p><p>Linda watches him ponder this for a while before adding, “You are not the first person to feel that way. Both Chloe and I have been through this as well remember.”</p><p>“And now you’re what, just happy to have him here?”</p><p>“The knowledge that celestial beings and <em>God </em>is real is a lot to handle. Some days it still makes me want to sit in a dark corner and cry in terror, but I’ve also gotten multiple new friends out of this. And a best friend. And a child of all things. There is so much positive to be found and, in a way, it’s become my new normal.”</p><p>“But he is evil, Linda! He tortures people. He condemns souls. He-”</p><p>“Have you actually discussed any of this with Lucifer?”</p><p>“I…” Dan blinks. “I mean he said he does that. That’s what he told me himself.”</p><p>She sighs, her shoulders dropping low with the weight of someone who has come to expect the worst. “He always does that. You know, he never lies but he likes to twist his words so that people misconstrue their meaning.”</p><p>“How could I misinterpret that??”</p><p>“The job of ruling as King of Hell is one that he doesn’t want. He doesn’t want to torture people, not in that way, unless he feels they are truly guilty. Even then, for the most part, he prefers to leave such matters to his demons. So, there is more to the picture than just what he told you.”</p><p>Dan raises his eyebrows and she tuts back at him. “Look, I see that you don’t believe me. But just think about the Lucifer you know for a moment. He’s never given any indication that he is evil, has he?”</p><p><em>You know me</em>, Dan hears those words again as she says this to him. He swallows and he feels his hands tremble against his thighs. “How can you be so sure?”</p><p>“I can’t. But, that’s the same with any of us. There are plenty of not so good people out in the world, you should know that as a detective. So, all we have to go on is trust and the believe that we know someone. We look to their words and see if they are reflected in their actions. Lucifer isn’t any different in regards to that.”</p><p>“Fine. Then tell me how I should feel about him.”</p><p>Linda shakes her head. “This isn’t about me telling you how you should feel. This is me providing you with what I hope is a more truthful assessment of the situation so you know where you will stand with him. If you decide, when this is all done, that you still want to stay away from him, then you are more than allowed to do just that.”</p><p>“So… why would he say that to me then?”</p><p>“Say what?”</p><p>“Why would he…” Dan waves his hand for a moment, “try and convince me that he is evil? If that’s what you say he was doing?”</p><p>“Think about how he feels in this situation as well. From what I can understand, he is happy to pass of his truth as a joke for a few reasons, the primary one being - he is terrified of rejection. As I said, he spent most of his life having not a single friendship. He has always believed that if people knew the truth about him, they would reject him and so isn’t it just easier in that situation to obfuscate the truth somewhat?”</p><p>“He has scars,” She continues. “Some physical, some emotional, but all very much real. These scars are remnants of his past but are what has resulted in his inability to process complex emotions. He may be the Devil but he also feels hurt by things just the same as anyone else.”</p><p>“Hurt?” Dan finds his thoughts dragged back to this morning; the way Lucifer’s expression has seemed darker than usual. The way those eyes had flinched at his words and the hesitation in the set of his mouth. He clears his throat.</p><p>“Do you really think he cares what people think about him?”</p><p>“I think he cares what his friends think of him.”</p><p>And there it is. The word that Dan has found himself shying away from for so long now.</p><p>Abruptly, he stands. “I- thanks for speaking with me. I need some time to think.”</p><p>“Take all the time you need.” She stands too and walks him to the door.</p><p>As he goes to leave, she places a hand on his arm to stop him and says quietly, “Just think on what I said. Lucifer is a complicated person and although many of his struggles are to do with things we cannot understand, the basis behind them is something that is very human-like in its concept. He hurts. He gets angry. He gets happy. Just like the rest of us. And just like us, he too wants to belong.”</p><p>Then, the door is shutting behind him and Dan is left standing there, feeling distinctly like the conversation has wrong-footed him. He had gone in hoping for what? Maybe validation that his anger and terror towards Lucifer was justified. Instead, he’s discovered that the others seem fine with all of this because they think Lucifer is just like the rest of them. That he is not inherently evil or sadistic.</p><p>Dan rubs his eyes with a sigh, even less unsure now of what to think. Maybe Linda is right. Maybe he does in fact <em>know </em>Lucifer.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>The sky is darkening rapidly by the time Dan arrives home, shoulders tight from weariness and phone filled with missed calls. His hours have been spent wandering the city again, thinking through what he knows about Lucifer and yet he is no closer to making a decision than he had been when he woke up.</p><p>Dan trudges to his bedroom and sits gingerly on the edge of the bed, feeling its weight soften beneath him. He takes a breath. Then another.</p><p>Moments pass as Dan sits, alone, in his cold and empty room. He can’t stop thinking about everything that has happened the last few days. His mind replays the <em>You know me </em>over and over again, a record jamming as it tries desperately to continue the song but fails.</p><p>He shudders. Then, is pulled out of his thoughts as he sees his phone light up on the bed beside him. It’s Chloe yet again. This time though, he gingerly picks it up.</p><p>“Hey Chlo. Everything alright?”</p><p>“Goddamnit Dan. You can’t just ignore your phone when I find out that you have mysteriously disappeared from the precinct!”</p><p>She sounds angry. Dan feels his mouth quirk up. “Sorry. I just wanted to have some me time for a few hours.”</p><p>“Well, maybe next time at least let me know you are alright. I thought Michael had come for you.”</p><p>That makes the smile drop off just as quickly. Oh. No wonder she had been concerned. “I’m more worried about you in all honesty. Are we sure he won’t kidnap you again?”</p><p>“I’ll be fine. I mean, I have my own guardian Devil after all.” Her words are spoken as a joke but then Dan doesn’t respond for just a moment too long. “Hey. Do you mind if I come over? I feel we need to talk.”</p><p>A sigh. “Do I have a choice in this?”</p><p>“Of course. I’m not going to push you. There are just some things I would like to explain.”</p><p>“…How did you do it, Chlo? He’s the Devil.”</p><p>“…I know. Believe me, I’ve seen enough to really know that. I took it quite badly when I first found out. Worse than you actually.”</p><p>“Worse than shooting him on behalf of his psychotic brother?”</p><p>“Honestly, yea actually.”</p><p>Dan feels his eyebrows raise. The silence stretches for a moment longer before he says, “You can come now if you would like. I feel like I need to hear the story behind that”</p><p>“Thanks. I’ll be there soon.”</p><p>True to her word, it doesn’t take long for her to arrive; with alcohol and food no less. Her expression is only slightly apologetic as she bundles herself inside and starts grabbing plates so they can eat. They don’t say much as they lay out the food and Dan takes the moment to be fervently glad that he can still rely on her. She is an amazing person and so much stronger than he is.</p><p>Finally, when Dan all but collapses into one of the chairs, nursing the food and drink in his hands, Chloe gives him a small smile. “I thought the extra additions might make this a bit easier on you.”</p><p>“Well, I won’t lie, nothing about this has been easy but you were just kidnapped Chlo. I’m pretty sure you win if this is a contest.”</p><p>She laughs and he feels so happy for a moment just to see her here. There are still shadows beneath her eyes and a crease between her brows that wasn’t there before, but she is here and safe.</p><p>“I won’t lie, it wasn’t easy. Michael has a tendency to play on your fears and well,” she shivers, “all in all it was not great. I’m here now though and everything is fine. On my end anyway.”</p><p>Then she fixes him with that look that she sometimes gets as she is about to ask him a probing question. It is the same look that she gives witnesses, especially those who she thinks are hiding things from her.</p><p> He sighs, knowing that there is no escaping this. “Yea, I know. I’m guessing Lucifer talked to you too?”</p><p>“Only a little. It’s quite clear that both of you are sulking.”</p><p>“I’m not sulking!”</p><p>She rolls her eyes at him, mouth quirking as she takes another bite of the food. Dan, flustered, runs a hand through his hair. “I’m not! I just don’t know how to deal with all of this. The Devil! Angels! God! It’s just insane.”</p><p>Dan slumps against the table, feeling its cool wood against his forehead for a moment. He draws a breath. “And that face Chlo... I keep seeing it every time I close my eyes.”</p><p>Silence stretches for a moment and then, “His Devil face?”</p><p>“Is that what he calls it? Then I guess, yea, that face. It was horrifying.”</p><p>“That’s only part of who he is. He used to be rather ashamed of that face, you know. He thought that face meant he was evil, like what you think.” She stops talking for a moment, long enough that Dan raises his head to see her conflicted expression. Then, she finishes off the last of her food and pushes the plate away.</p><p>“It’s not really something I feel comfortable talking too much about in all honesty as it’s personal to him. Just the same as I wouldn’t tell people all your deep dark secrets that I know.”</p><p>Dan laughs weakly at that, but he thinks he understands in part where she is coming from. At least, if what Linda said had been correct. “He’s just as fucked up as the rest of us, isn’t he?”</p><p>She joins in with his laughter. “Probably even more so, in truth. Now, let’s clean this up.”</p><p>The two of them stand, working in tandem to clear the table of its clutter and empty plates. Side by side they reach a calm peace between them. It makes his chest ache to think of how lucky he is to have her still here for him, even after all the mistakes he has made over the years. That together they can still be comfortable around each other.</p><p>Minutes pass and finally, they settle down to talk on the couch, drinks in hand as Chloe broaches a new topic. “You were genuinely trying to kill him that night, weren’t you?”</p><p>Dan fumbles with his drink for a moment, trying to read her expression. Then, he relaxes somewhat when she realises that she is not angry, merely curious of all emotions. He nods. “Yea. I thought… Michael told me that if I killed him it would protect all of you.”</p><p>“Lucifer would never hurt us.”</p><p>“Well it didn’t really matter in the end. Even shooting him did nothing.”</p><p>She nods in response. “Honestly, I’d be far more surprised if you hadn’t tried to kill him.”</p><p>He scoffs at that. “What?”</p><p>“I mean, your reaction was something you would expect everyone to have. You had been given a chance, so you believed, to take out the Devil himself. It takes a lot of bravery to go for something like that.”</p><p>“I’m sure he believed so,” Dan drawls with a shudder.</p><p>She hums. “He was pretty upset when you shot him.”</p><p>“I mean I shot him. I was expecting him to kill me. Still am, in all honesty.”</p><p>She shakes her head. “He wouldn’t do that. Not to you anyway.”</p><p>Dan lets those words sink in. Then, “What do you mean?”</p><p>“I honestly don’t think it really hit him at first. He was too busy enjoying his newfound invulnerability around me.” Chloe holds up a hand for a moment as Dan opens his mouth to ask questions, “Yes, we can talk about that later. But after he came to realise that you knew and had tried to kill him, he was angry.”</p><p>“And so he wanted to kill me.”</p><p>“No. And this is what I need you to understand about him. He is not the all evil Devil that history has made him out to be. He likes to punish people, yes, but more often along the route of pranks and torture in that sense. Case in point, I came into work the following day to find him putting a snake in your drawer.”</p><p>Dan flinches and thinks back to the last time he opened the drawers at his desk. Was there a snake in one of them? God only knew.</p><p>“Yea I know! A real snake,” She rolls her eyes. “I stopped him of course. He seemed confused as to why I wouldn’t let him go through with it. In truth, it was not a venomous snake but he didn’t get that humans did not like seeing snakes in their workplace.”</p><p>He can’t help it as the laughter bubbles up, tickling the edges of his tongue. It is utterly ridiculous and yet, so very Lucifer. Chloe pauses as he laughs but he waves her to continue.</p><p>“You see, his ideas at getting you back for shooting him and considering him as evil were not to kill you. He was going to play pranks on you. I saw the plans he wrote out in his rooms at Lux.  He’d written notes on you – on what you hated and disliked. He wanted to make you uncomfortable but his intention was never to actually hurt you.”</p><p>She adjusts her position for a moment and then adds, “There are a lot of events in hindsight that make much more sense knowing who he is now than before. I’ve seen him literally drive people mad. He can do terrifying things with those powers of his, but he never thought of doing anything like that to you. Even after you tried to kill him.”</p><p>“So, what are you saying? I should be glad that the Devil didn’t want to kill me?”</p><p>“I’m just trying to help you understand.”</p><p>Dan gets to his feet. He has a lot to think about. He begins to pace as Chloe sits on the couch, just watching him and waiting. Finally, when he doesn’t say anything, she frowns.  </p><p>“You know, he wore that bracelet all the time. Until the night you shot him. I think he liked having something to remind him of something better. Haven’t seen it since then.”</p><p>Dan pauses. “He gave it back to me.” The words come out soft and confused, nearly a question.</p><p>“And that, I think, answers some of those lingering concerns.”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>Chloe sighs and swallows down another sip of her drink. “He’s the Devil, Dan. He could’ve very easily destroyed a bracelet like that without a second though. Yet he not only kept it but gave it back to you, believing you would not want him to wear it.”</p><p>“But why…?”</p><p>“This is what he does.”</p><p>“I talked to Linda.”</p><p>“Yea, she understands more than most, I think. Or, as much as any of us humans can understand. He doesn’t understand us either in return. I think that kind of scares him.”</p><p>“So, I’m supposed to chalk all of this up to the Devil being unable to understand human emotion?”</p><p>“No. I just need you to understand that he does feel things, but he often expresses them in slightly different ways. He is not used to having friends.”</p><p>“Friends? Really?”</p><p>Chloe shoots him a look. “Come on Dan. You know him. Why would he willingly wear that ugly bracelet you gave him?”</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>“Sorry, I know you think it helps you and everything but you’ve seen how he dresses. He takes great pride in his appearance and there is no way he would wear something like that if it didn’t something <em>more </em>to him.”</p><p>“It’s just a stupid bracelet.”</p><p>“Exactly. He’s the Devil. I can tell you quite easily that he doesn’t believing in cleansing his chakra. Yet, he not only accepted the gift but actually used it. It meant something to him I think – the fact that someone had gifted him something out of genuine concern.”</p><p>Here, she reaches up and gently grabs his arm, tugging him back down to the couch. He folds, letting his legs tuck up underneath him as he processes what she is saying. They press together like that for a long while. Finally, Dan shifts away and Chloe relents.</p><p>“You’re upset by this aren’t you?” She asks gently. “And I mean more than just the shock of finding out who he actually is.”</p><p>“Yea.” Dan admits, voice quiet and fragile in the night-time air. “I know the two of us have butted heads since the moment we met but I felt that recently we were beginning to understand each other. It was kind of nice to add another person to my very short list of people that I trust.”</p><p>“And now you feel that’s been broken.”</p><p>“The Devil, Chlo. How the hell do you trust in someone like that? When there is just so <em>much </em>out there saying that he is evil incarnate?”</p><p>She sighs and wraps her fingers around his wrist, stilling the shaking that had begun without him even realising it. “You know, that’s exactly how I felt at first. Someone else, a priest, convinced me that it was in my best interest to send him back to Hell where he belongs and get him far away from everyone I cared about on Earth. In the end though, I couldn’t go through with it.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because I realised that I knew my partner, more than some priest would know him, more than the stories they tell about him and I think you know him too, Dan.”</p><p>Dan hesitates. That’s what it keeps coming down to, isn’t it? Does he know Lucifer or was what he thought he knew a lie? The thing that really terrifies him is that he feels he does not know. That he cannot know. And what if he makes the wrong choice and dooms them all?</p><p>“He’s a good person Dan, he really is.”</p><p>Dan listens to the way her voice catches and trembles as she says this to him. He thinks on the way Lucifer had refused to abandon her and had done everything in his power to save her. He remembers the way they had pressed close when they found each other again, the relief in the set of their shoulders and eyes closed as if they could not bear to lose each other ever again.</p><p>He swallows, looks down and places his hand over hers. “You love him, don’t you?”</p><p>Her laugh is shaky in response and she drops her head onto his shoulder. “Yea. I think I do. It terrifies me but… I can’t help it.”</p><p>What can he say in the face of that? His chest trembles and he blinks away the tears that threaten to spill over. He is terrified. For Chloe, for Trixie, for all of them. It’s impossible for him to even wrap his heard around her being in love with the Devil. Then, his view shifts for a moment, and he lets out a breath. But it is possible for him to understand her being in love with Lucifer. The Lucifer he knew and perhaps still knows.</p><p>They sit like that for a long while, feeling the comfort of a friend and the understanding that even through all this, they still have each other. Finally, Chloe moves away from him and gets to her feet. She gives him a small smile, making no comment about his surely red eyes.</p><p>“I feel it’s time for me to leave. Just think on what I’ve said. If you choose to still hate him then I’ll stand by your decision so you won’t lose me.”</p><p>“Thanks Chlo.”</p><p>And then she is gone, walking out the door and leaving the lingering sense of familial comfort. Dan sits there for a long moment, wondering about that word: hate. He’s hated Lucifer in the past, he’s sure of that. He absolutely despised him when he first appeared traipsing behind Chloe. He hated him when Charlotte died and he believed he was responsible for her death. He hated him when he had seen that Devil face and believed that there was a liar hiding among the people he cared about.</p><p>But in between that, there were moments without hate as well.</p><p>Dan reaches inside his jacket and pulls out that bracelet. He stares at it, fiddling with the strings between his fingers. Again, he thinks of the moments he has spent with Lucifer. Perhaps it really was just that simple.</p><p>Maybe Lucifer was just his friend after all, one who happened to be the Devil.</p><p>It takes him a long time to fall asleep.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>The morning sun peeks through the windows as Dan wakes, eyes blearily glancing around the room. It is a while before he shifts to a sitting position, thoughts of yesterday gradually coming back to him. Oh. Right.</p><p>He still has a decision to make.</p><p>Getting to his feet, Dan takes his time as he goes about his morning routine. A step here, pulling the blankets over his bed. A step there, making his morning coffee. All the while, he thinks over the conversations he had about Lucifer.</p><p>Then, he stops short, fingers splayed on a piece of toast, knife in one hand.</p><p>He realises, with startling clarity, that he did not dream of those burning red eyes last night.</p><p>Dan swallows and gently places the knife down on the bench. <em>Oh</em>.</p><p>He leaves the things be and slides to the ground, knees clutched towards his chest. He is wracked with fear for a moment – how can he ever be certain that he is making the right choice? What if things go wrong and he has himself to blame for that?</p><p>Linda and Chloe were right though. Perhaps all he could do was trust in the Lucifer he knows.</p><p>There is a short, sharp sound in the air and Dan blinks. Wait. He recognises that sound. He gets to his feet and sure enough, a rather familiar figure is standing there beyond his kitchen.</p><p>“Daniel Espinoza. Thank you for all the help you gave me the last time. Your little stunt with my brother certainly proved useful.”</p><p>Dan lunges at him. Unlike his hesitation with Lucifer, he harbours no regrets about the rage that swells within him at that voice and the way his hand instantly curls into a fist. He stumbles as his fist doesn’t land though, remembering with bitterness that Michael is an angel and therefore cannot be hurt by him. Is too fast for him to even get near.</p><p>“Well it seems as if my welcome is a little colder this time.”</p><p>Dan whirls around to face Michael. “Why did you lie to me?”</p><p>“Lie? I never lied to you.”</p><p>He yells and lunges again. He misses of course.</p><p>“I’m surprised you have the guts to do this.” Michael says with a laugh. That face which looks so much like his twin brother, yet so different. Dan finds he cannot sense any regret in those dark eyes. Perhaps where Michael had only lied, Lucifer had been telling the truth the entire time.</p><p>“Come now, I have work for you.”</p><p>“Fuck off Michael. There is no way that I’ll do anything for you again.”</p><p>“Oh, but what about your little daughter?”</p><p>Dan stiffens, chills running down his spine. “What?”</p><p>“It would be a shame if something were to happen to her. Now, if you do as I ask then I’m sure she will be fine. If not… then….”</p><p>“You wouldn’t dare, you bastard!”</p><p>Michael smiles. It is the kind of smile that should feel comforting but all Dan feels when he looks at it is terror. In a way that is utterly different from the terror that he feels when Lucifer smiles and infinitely worse. And that realisation strikes him, leaving him breathless as he tries to grapple with his fear for Trixie.</p><p>“What have you done with her?”</p><p>“Oh, don’t panic just yet. She is fine for the moment.”</p><p>“Don’t you dare touch her!”</p><p>“Now, I don’t think you are in the position to be telling me to do just anything.” Michael sighs and shakes his head, as if entirely disappointed by Dan’s reaction.</p><p>Dan, on the other hand, is gripped by rage and terror in equal measures. <em>Trixie. </em>All of this celestial business was a threat to her and would continue to be so. While she was involved in a life like this there was no telling who might believe that harming her would be a way to get to Chloe. Or even Lucifer.</p><p>He swallows heavily and then hears a loud <em>thunk</em> come from the hallway beyond. Dan’s eyes shift across and he is startled to see a figure appear in the doorway. It is Maze with a sharp grin and a wicked set of knives in her hands.</p><p>“Ah. There you are Michael.” And she lunges, inhumanly fast, at the angel.</p><p>Michael grunts in surprise. Maze’s knife manages to nick him across the cheek just below that jagged scar and a hint of blood appears on that skin.</p><p>She spins and gets him across the chest with her boot. He flies across the room, crashing into the wall and leaving what will certainly be some damage.</p><p>The angel gets to his feet, a frown on his face and his clothes in disarray. “Now, now, Mazikeen. I thought we had come to an agreement.”</p><p>“I thought so too. Until I learned of your plans for the people I care about.” Maze snarls, spinning those knives. “You touch Trixie and you are dead.”</p><p>Michael sneers at her but she doesn’t back down. Then, the sneer falls off his face and he sighs. “Very well.”</p><p>And he vanishes with that sound again.</p><p>Dan stares at Maze, mouth open.</p><p>“So, guess you know about us then.” Maze pockets her knives and falls on the couch, bringing her feet up to rest on the table.</p><p>Dan, still trying to process the appearance of both Michael and Maze who is <em>also definitely not human, </em>just says, “What?”</p><p>She glances across at him, brows drawn together and with a roll of her eyes, she adds, “You know… Lucifer, Michael. Angels, demons, all that stuff.”</p><p>Dan abruptly shuts his mouth. “Did you really mean what you said?”</p><p>A raise of the eyebrows. Maze gives him a look that suggests he is the most stupid person she has ever met. Then, as if realising he is not going to let this go, shrugs. “Michael is an idiot and he should have known better than to threaten her.”</p><p>“Why do you care about her?” Dan flounders for a moment. “I mean, look, don’t get me wrong. I’m very glad you showed up and threatened Michael so that Trixie will be safe but also, why do you care? If you are one of them anyway?”</p><p>“I’m not <em>one of them.</em>”</p><p>“Then what are you?”</p><p>“A demon. Was one of Lucifer’s ones. Now, couldn’t care less about him. Very different to those idiotic angels.”</p><p>A demon. Ha. Dan doesn’t even feel surprised. The comment about Lucifer though is something that piques his interest but he very much does not want to push on that topic just now so he wisely leaves his mouth shut.</p><p>Maze gets to her feet and goes rummaging around his belongings for a moment before she emerges with a bottle in hand. She cracks it open in a second and takes a long swig, then fixes him with a stare as if daring him to say something. Dan shudders. He isn’t going to tell a demon off for something like that, in all honesty.</p><p>“So, why do you care? Are demons… supposed to care?”</p><p>There is a sharp crack and Dan flinches back as one of Maze’s knives slams into the table in front of him. He swallows and she shoots him a dark look. “I wouldn’t say that again if I were you. But in answer to your question… you’ve raised a good kid. She doesn’t deserve to get involved in this.”</p><p>Dan glances at the knife and wisely retreats into the kitchen to grab his own drink, one that is unfortunately alcohol free. As he takes the first sip, he notices Maze eyeing him from across the room. She seems to be considering saying something but he can’t think what. Luckily, his confusion is short lived when she suddenly asks - “Do you think demons have a soul?”</p><p>Dan chokes on his drink. He goes to immediately bite back with a <em>of course you don’t </em>before he pauses and really looks at her.</p><p>Maze is still and silent - not in that usual predatory way of hers but in a way that suggests a certain wariness about the topic. Her hands are twisted in her lap and her eyes shift to become fixed on a point on the wall ahead of her. He thinks he sees the beginnings of tears in her eyes, shining in the morning light.  </p><p>He puts down his cup.</p><p>Why is she still here? What does she think that he has to add to this? He still is so far from understanding any of <em>this </em>and now she is asking him a question like that?</p><p>Dan says, “Maybe you should talk to Linda about something like this?”</p><p>Maze grunts in response. “No. She wasn’t any help. Friends aren’t honest with each other about things like that.”</p><p>“So, what, you’re asking me because we are not friends?”</p><p>“Exactly. Glad you caught on quick.”</p><p>“Well, I only just found out that demons <em>exist at all </em>just a few moments ago so I don’t feel as if I’m qualified to answer that.”</p><p>Maze looks… disappointed. Or at least, that’s what Dan thinks anyway as he thumbs the edge of his cup and watches her across the room. She seems on the verge of saying something else before her shoulders slump and she gets to her feet. “Just so you know, I’m not paying for the damages.”</p><p>A glance across the room reminds Dan that there is a giant hole in his wall. He pointedly turns back to face her and then holds up a hand, pulling her to a stop as she goes to walk out the door. A few steps bring him in the vicinity of his bookshelf and he hunts through it for a moment before pulling one out and holding it out for her.</p><p>She looks down at it, lip curling back. “What is this?”</p><p>“A book. It might help.”</p><p>“I don’t read books.”</p><p>Dan flounders for something he can say in response and comes up short. “Alright. Well, what’s so important to you about a soul?”</p><p>“This was stupid. It doesn’t matter.”</p><p>Maze spins on her heels and walks out the door before he has time to say anything else. It is only in the moments of silence after that Dan thinks through what she had said. He thinks about Michael and the way he hadn’t seemed to care about threatening him. It was Maze who had stood up for Trixie, a demon of all things who wanted to protect his daughter. One who seemed unsure of herself and in need of advice in dealing with her own problems.</p><p>Dan looks down at the mug in his hands. His fingers are trembling slightly against the ceramic in a delayed reaction to the fight that had just wrecked his house. Well. That wasn’t how he expected his morning to go at all but it had given him answers to some questions he hadn’t even thought to ask.</p><p>Now, he knows what to do.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>It is decidedly night-time when Dan arrives at Lux, hearing the loud music from the streets and seeing the line of already drunk party-goers waiting outside. It is a place he has been to on multiple occasions but this time it feels different even as he takes his first few steps towards the building.</p><p>It stands tall and imposing, a dark mark on the street – a place that is a clear contrast to the place he had been drinking at the other day. The lights shine from within and make his eyes ache as he stares up at them. The sound of laughter echoes suddenly and there is an undercurrent of drunk shouting streaming out from the doorway. It seems exotic and wild. So very Lucifer.</p><p>Dan walks into the deafening music of Lux with shaking legs and a pounding heart. He wishes that he felt more confident, as he glances around for one of the workers, but he has never been great at hiding his fear. It doesn’t take long to find one and pass along his message. For that he is glad, or he feels that he may have run away before going through with his plan.</p><p>Finally, he receives the go ahead. Lucifer is waiting for him at the top.</p><p>Dan swallows and the elevator doors close behind him.</p><p>When they open again, it is to the quiet calm of Lucifer’s penthouse. He is instantly reminded of the last time he was here – that gun in his hands, the anger and trembling of his limbs, the looks of surprise when he had shot Lucifer.</p><p>And here he is again. Trying to make amends.</p><p>Lucifer stands there waiting for him, no smirk on his lips this time. He is still and immovable. Eyes dark with the weight of eternity behind them.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, Dan steps forward. “Thanks for agreeing to see me.”</p><p>Lucifer just shrugs and then, he is moving, long legs striding across to the bar. Dan breathes in and out. Lucifer pours two glasses and slides one across to him. He is still not saying anything but that doesn’t matter. This is the moment for Dan to do something instead.</p><p>He takes a long drink and places the glass gingerly back on the bar. “She was right you know?”</p><p>When there is no response, Dan glances sideways at Lucifer to gauge his reaction. The Devil is standing there, staring right back at him and has made no move to drink from his own glass.</p><p>Finally, Lucifer sighs. “Who was right?”</p><p>“Chloe. That night that I-” Dan pauses and then continues on, “… that night that I shot you.”</p><p>“Yes well, the Detective has a penchant for being correct about a lot of things but I don’t see what that has to do with-”</p><p>Dan cuts him off with a wave of his hand. “She said that deep down I knew you were a good person. She was right about that.”</p><p>And there. Lucifer swallows the glass of liquid with a sharp and practiced movement. The tiniest flinch in his expression. Dan remembers what Chloe and Linda had told him, that Lucifer too can hurt. His own tension unwinds somewhat and there is the feeling of certainty that has settled into his gut in a way that he was not expecting.</p><p>“Well I’m not technically a person,” Lucifer drawls, eyes sharp.</p><p>“Look, Lucifer, I am trying to explain this to you so I would appreciate if you could just shut up for once.”</p><p>And that does it. Lucifer’s mouth closes with a snap and Dan sees something strange come over his face but he plunders on. “You were also right when you said that I know you. I thought, maybe, that you being the goddamned Devil changed things. I’ve come to realise that perhaps it doesn’t change anything.”</p><p>There. He has said his piece. He takes another drink and is dimly aware of those eyes staring at him from across the room. Lucifer seems to take his time processing his words. This is difficult. Dan knows that he’s never been good at communicating about feelings in any way that matters. Still, this is something he needs to do.</p><p>“You know, we’ve never exactly gotten along. I mean, it’s been what? A few years now? And still you call me a douche every time we meet. But I don’t know man, you’re still that crazy Lucifer that has been bugging me almost every day I go into work for the last few years. After all this time, I think that still means something.”</p><p>Lucifer’s lips quirk down a little. “Yes, although I believe the moniker <em>douche</em> has become something more of a nickname rather than an insult.”</p><p>Dan laughs at that. It is a tremulous sound but it is there and it is real. Just like that, the tension in the room lessens somewhat and he remembers what Linda said. Lucifer is just as bad at this as he is.</p><p>“I never knew with you man. Sometimes I thought maybe I was starting to understand you and we could move past that but then you would torment me with something new.”</p><p>“And now?”</p><p>Dan turns to properly face him this time. He places his glass back down and takes the moment to sort through his thoughts before they tumble from his tongue. Then, he pulls the bracelet out from his jacket pocket and holds it towards Lucifer.</p><p>Lucifer stares at him. He seems surprised but Dan isn’t sure. So, he motions for the angel to take the bracelet and when he doesn’t, Dan drops it on the bar bench between them.</p><p>“It’s for you.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because it was a gift for you and you should keep it.”</p><p>Lucifer reaches over and prods the bracelet. Dan rolls his eyes.</p><p>“You know, the real reason I shot you that night was because I was terrified for Chloe and Trixie. Michael had convinced me that killing you was the only way my family could be safe.”</p><p>Lucifer wrinkles his nose at that. “Michael has a tendency to play on fear. I would never hurt Chloe or Beatrice.”</p><p>“I know that now. Just as I know you would never really hurt me.”</p><p>Here, Lucifer grins and it is wicked and sharp and sends chills down Dan’s spine. “Oh, but can you really be sure?”</p><p>“Here you go again. This is what Linda told me about.”</p><p>The words make Lucifer’s grin fall. Standing there like that, eyes slightly wide and brows furrowed, Dan thinks maybe just maybe he finally gets it.</p><p>“And what did she say to you?”</p><p>“That you like to sabotage yourself, particularly around those that you care about.” Dan searches his face, hoping that he has not just made a mistake but he sees in the way Lucifer’s eyes glance away for a moment and an expression of displeasure flickers across it that he is right. “That’s what you did that day at the precinct isn’t it?</p><p>“Dr Martin should know when to stay quiet.”</p><p>“I’m glad she told me though. She wasn’t the only one in all honesty. I’ve had a lot of your friends approach me in the last few days, and one enemy as well.”</p><p>Here, Lucifer’s eyes slide back to him, narrowed in suspicion. “Enemy?”</p><p>Dan waves him off. “We can talk about that later. Maze rather solved that particularly problem on her own. What I’m more interested in talking about is why it took me so long to realise the mistake I made.” He takes another breath and glances away. “It took me too long to realise that Michael was wrong and that I shouldn’t believe him over my friends. So, I am here to apologise for trying to kill you and to give a gift back to a friend.”</p><p>“Friend?” Lucifer echoes, voice so strange that Dan finds himself glancing up at him. The angel is standing tall and rigid, eyes wide and with no small amount of what he feels is fear in them.</p><p>“Yes. Friend. I hope.”</p><p>That bracelet still sits between them. It is a reminder of what things had once been like and perhaps what they could be again. They are so different the two of them, personalities that always had seemed destined to clash. Even beyond that, they are different species. Lucifer is an angel and the Devil – still so difficult for him to comprehend. Yet sometimes, people can become friends despite their differences.</p><p>And in the aftermath of this last week, Dan has realised just how much he values surrounding himself with the people he cares about.</p><p>Lucifer, somehow, over the years, has become one of those people.</p><p>“It doesn’t matter to me that you’re the Devil. <em>I know you </em>Lucifer. And, in all honesty, I miss my bracelet bro.”</p><p>But Lucifer just stares at him in return and Dan wonders if he has broken the angel. Perhaps he should’ve gone about this in a different way. Still, it’s too late now and Dan doesn’t want to overstay his welcome, so he gets to his feet and gives Lucifer a sharp nod.</p><p>“I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”</p><p>Then, he is heading back to the elevator and the last thing he sees as the doors slide shut is Lucifer’s hand resting ever so gently on that bracelet. There is hesitation in his posture, fear in the way his brows are drawn together and yet there is also wonder there too.</p><p>Dan smiles to himself.</p><p>Perhaps he had made the right decision after all.</p><p> </p>
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